In 'Death to Prom,' the sets and costumes have the best lines

If “Death to Prom” were one of costume designer Christopher Straub's efforts back when he was a “Project Runway” contestant, the verdict might be that it looks good, but the construction is iffy.

Shot in a candy-colored palette, the made-in-Minnesota comedy knows how to make a limited budget pop on-screen. Melissa Pritchett's production design and Straub's costumes are bright and fun in a make-something-out-of-nothing vein similar to “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” which won an Oscar for its clever costumes. “Prom” won't win any Oscars, but it is a terrific-looking piece of work.

“Prom” is a contemporary spin on a John Hughes movie, one where gender and sexuality are more fluid than in Hughes' more conservative world view. Rene (funny Ricardo Vazquez) is gay and fabulous. He and his best friend/partner in fabulousness, Frankie (Hina Kahn), both fall for handsome soccer player Sasha even though they're not sure if he's interested in boys (i.e., Rene) or girls (i.e., Frankie — and, yes, everyone in the movie seems to have a gender-neutral name).

As in a Hughes movie, someone's heart will get broken, there will be hurt feelings and everything will turn out OK in a redemptive finale at the prom. Unfortunately, unlike a Hughes movie, the quips in “Death to Prom” often feel forced, and the supporting characters fade into the background. Hughes wrote supporting characters that were funnier and livelier than the leads, but the “Prom” gang is a wan and indifferently acted bunch.

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It's too bad. There's plenty to like in “Prom,” which also makes deft use of Twin Cities locations such as the Witch's Hat water tower in Minneapolis. But some of the time, you wish the actors would shut up and get out of the way of the eye-popping sets and costumes.

“Death to Prom”

Directed by: Matthew Stenerson, Jeremy Wilker

Starring: Ricardo Vazquez, Hina Khan, Andrew Keives

Rated: Not rated, but contains some strong language

Should you go? Tough call. It's fun to see the Twin Cities used so well in such a good-looking movie, but there are script and acting issues. Two stars.

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